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Two contestants faced a game board consisting of 30 numbered squares. Behind those numbers were matching pairs of prizes worth tens of dollars to hundreds of dollars. The hidden prizes cover up a rebus puzzle which the contestants try to solve. To start the game show and as head starts, four squares revealed prizes that were offered in that game. On a player's turn he/she picked off numbers. When the show started, the contestant chose two numbers in both games; it was later changed to having contestants picked three numbers in the first game and later both games. If the numbers he/she picked uncovered a match, he/she won the prize and revealed pieces of a puzzle. If he/she doesn't match, control of the board goes to the opponent.

Also hidden on the board were special squares that affected game play.

Wild Card - This was a very special square which if uncovered, caused a automatic match. When the show started, there were two on the board and if they were both found, the contestant won $500 cash bonus which was his/hers to keep win or lose. Later shows had four Wild cards on the board in the second game and the bonus was reduced to $250.

Take One Gift - When matched, that gave the contestant in control the right to steal one of his/her opponents' prizes if he/she had any.

Forfeit One Gift - When matched, that forced the contestant in control to give away one of his/her own prizes if he/she had any. That square was later done away with entirely.

Free Look - When uncovered, that square revealed a puzzle part immediately and of course the contestant got to guess.

Bonus Number - Originally shown in both games and later only shown in the second game, when if matched, the contestant in control can pick a third number if the first two don't match.

The first player to solve the puzzle kept all the prizes and went on to play the Double Play game for a new car.

Should time run out in the middle of the second game, the puzzle was revealed and the first player to buzz-in with the correct solution was declared the winner.

In the Double Play game, the winning contestant had 10 seconds to solve two more rebuses. The first one was worth $100 and the second was worth a new car.

Later playings starting in Fall 1977 had contestants pick off numbers from a 9-square board which hide four matching pairs of prizes (one of them being a new car). The first prize matched became the grand prize for solving the second puzzle. But there was also a "Wild Card!" square that allowed the winning contestant to play for all prizes revealed up to that point.

When there was extra time left on the show, a third main game puzzle came into play but with foreign currency instead of regular prizes and no head starts. Winning the game won the American cash equivalent.

Also on occasion when there was extra time left on the show, a two player Double Play game was instituted. The rules were the same as before, only this time each player gets a puzzle and the full 10 seconds to solve it for an additional $50.

The original Concentration was created by Jack Barry and ran on NBC Daytime from August 25, 1958 until March 23, 1973 and briefly in Primetime twice from October 30, 1958 until November 20, 1958 then again from April 24, 1961 until September 18, 1961. The hosts were Hugh Downs (1958-1969), Jack Barry (1958, nighttime), Bob Clayton (Jan-Mar 1969; Sep 1969-1973) and Ed McMahon (Mar-Sep 1969).